Despite state control of oil, gas, local officials keep their hands in the barrels

Jul. 9, 2012

A pump and pipeline, snaking through forests and fields, are a common sight in Washington County, Pa. Eastern Ohio, which sits on the Utica Shale, already has begun to see the beginning steps of fracking.

Written by

Russ Zimmer
CentralOhio.com

The Ohio state government's mantra on oil and gas regulation could be paraphrased as "Columbus knows best," but the powers of local governments to shape shale drilling in their jurisdiction have been a staple in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania provides Ohio a contemporary example of what can happen if townships retain the ability to set rules about how drillers operate inside their boundaries.

That local ability to direct oil and gas zoning in Pennsylvania was to be erased with the April enactment of Act 13, a comprehensive oil and gas law that mirrors Ohio's in its state-control philosophy. ...